Archive for January, 2011

Well here’s some happy news to send you into the weekend. X Japan, one of the most important bands in the Japanese music scene, has signed a three-year deal with EMI which will bring their music to North America at long last! This is really exciting news for me, personally. X Japan was one of the key bands that got me into music, and metal specifically. Every time I listen to “Kurenai” it still gives chills, just like it did when I first heard it years ago. This news shouldn’t be too surprising, considering the band’s successful US tour that took place late last fall, but the announcement of the single for “Jade,” which will be released on March 15, is certainly exciting. The band is currently in the studio working on their new studio album, which is expected to be released in late summer 2011.Continue reading ‘X Japan Sign North American Record Deal With EMI, Announces New Releases’

I was tremendously excited when http://facebook.com/thebig4 went active earlier this weekend. Could it be that fanboys like me, too young to have seen the Clash of the Titans tour and the like would finally get to see Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax all on the same stage? Would I and my girlfriend, female friend who I slobber all over finally settle our debate that Megadeth while great are not as good as Metallica? (Sorry Pam!) But today the announcement comes that the show will not only be in California but in the middle of nowhere.

I fucking love going to shows. As awesome as it is to see a band you love, and get that rush that can only come from being bombarded with intense volume, and being surrounded by people as excited and obnoxious as yourself, I get even more excited when I go to a show and discover something new. I’ve found a lot of awesome bands that way, and this past Saturday at Cake Shop that’s exactly what happened with All Pigs Must Die.Continue reading ‘Serious Review Time: All Pigs Must Die – EP’

Periphery were one of those bands that I honestly didn’t think I would get into. I heard people describe them to me and it just didn’t seem too special. Then I gave their self-titled album a run through and I was really surprised, because it was fucking awesome. Bulb’s songwriting is really solid, and the production/ performances on the album are tight and clear. People seem to be on the fence about their vocalist (literally every article I’ve read concerning the band mentions this, and look, here I am doing the same fucking thing!) but I think Spencer Sotelo is one of the band’s assets: his screaming is tasteful and well placed, and he can belt out some pretty nasty clean vocals. Even though it’s a bit of a departure from the typical affair on the album, “Jetpacks was Yes!” was one of my favorite tracks from the first time I heard it, and when I heard Periphery released a video of that track I got really excited, especially considering how cool their video for “Icarus Lives!” was. What’s the deal with all the exclamations? I’m not complaining, but it’s curious.

In a day where the visual aspect of music (artwork, music videos) could be threatened the most, considering the rise of illegal downloads/ digital downloads/ etc. it’s really inspiring to see people do something interesting and tasteful visually. With both of their music videos, Periphery doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but they sure as hell make it a pretty wheel. With shiny sparklers and streamers and shit.

You can check out the video for “Jetpacks Was Yes!” as well as an explanation of the video by Spencer at Guitar World here.

Ross and I have been quite plain in the past about our love of Japan’s Dir en grey. The band is a curious hybrid of modern metal, Japanese traditional music, jazz, funk and whatever else suits them. The band has just uploaded a short exceprt of the video for their single, “Lotus” due on the 26th. Now unlike American bands, Japanese groups will release their singles months sometimes years before an album’s completion. So what details can we glean from this single and its’ predecessor “Hageshisa to” about the next album? The Lotus clip musically seems to adhere to a classic melodic Dir en grey chorus much like the one in “Hageshisa to”. While that earlier track delved into relentless heaviness, my sense says Dir en grey wouldn’t release the same song twice. Look for Lotus to be more melodic and restrained in comparison to its blood boiling cousin. From both clips it sounds as though the production has been knocked through the roof with tight crisp guitar tones and a stellar vocal performance from Kyo. Dir en grey fans can expect their next album some time this year. But enough of my babbling, here’s the clip.

So March seems to be the month to look forward to in metal in 2011. Obviously, at this point we’re already aware of The Human Abstract’s Digital Veil coming out on March 8th, but there are two more releases to keep an eye out for…

Protest the Hero – Scurrilous

It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly three years since Fortress, PTH’s sophomore effort, but thankfully everyone’s favorite gang of Canadians is coming back this year with Scurrilous. As usual, the band has graced us with a trio of studio update vids over the course of the album’s creation, but those were focused more on things like dropping watermelons on a naked Rody Walker than giving fans a look on the music that was being created. To be honest, I’m okay with that. The few clips they showed piqued my interest because they were so enticing. The tech-y goodness is all there in aplomb, and Rody can still sing his ass off, but what really got me excited for Scurrilous was the return of Jadae Kelly on vocals. Her appearances on Kezia were fantastic, and I’m looking forward to hearing her and Rody belting out once again on record.

Look for this one on March 22nd via Underground Operations if you’re a Canuck or Vagrant if you’re from the US.

Kvelertak – Kvelertak

I’ve already made my undying love for the ‘Tak clear in an earlier post, so I’m going to try (try) not to turn this into a love-fest. If you got rapt up in the buzz that started around this band earlier in the year, you might have come across a pretty staggering road block in between you and one of the most impressive albums of the year: they’re from Norway. On a Norwegian indie label, with the appropriate moniker “Indie Recordings.” I went a bit rabid in my desire for this album, so I went ahead and ordered the LP/CD combo which took roughly 3 months to actually get to me. Was it worth it? Hell yes. Was I a little insane? Probably. But now Kvelertak have been signed to The End Records, who are setting this album loose on March 15th. So do yourself a favor and buy that when it comes out stateside (Totally worth it, especially because of John Dyer Baizley’s STUNNING artwork for the album), or if you’re fortunate enough to be on the west coast, try to sneak your way into the Scion Rock Fest in LA.

Hopefully this will mean the band will start touring the US soon. Baroness/Kylesa/Kvelertak tour, anyone?